Factorial Partners LLC Has $3.79 Million Position in Group 1 Automotive, Inc. (NYSE:GPI)

Factorial Partners LLC boosted its stake in Group 1 Automotive, Inc. (NYSE:GPI) by 6.5% in the third quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 9,900 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 600 shares during the quarter. Group 1 Automotive comprises about 2.2% of Factorial Partners LLC’s holdings, making the stock its 14th biggest position. Factorial Partners LLC owned 0.07% of Group 1 Automotive worth $3,792,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of GPI. US Bancorp DE increased its holdings in shares of Group 1 Automotive by 7.9% during the first quarter. US Bancorp DE now owns 1,926 shares of the company’s stock valued at $563,000 after acquiring an additional 141 shares in the last quarter. Orion Portfolio Solutions LLC bought a new position in shares of Group 1 Automotive in the first quarter valued at $1,037,000. O Shaughnessy Asset Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Group 1 Automotive during the first quarter valued at about $204,000. Clearbridge Investments LLC raised its holdings in shares of Group 1 Automotive by 2.4% in the 1st quarter. Clearbridge Investments LLC now owns 62,681 shares of the company’s stock worth $18,317,000 after acquiring an additional 1,467 shares during the last quarter. Finally, UniSuper Management Pty Ltd bought a new stake in shares of Group 1 Automotive in the 1st quarter worth $887,000. 99.92% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Group 1 Automotive Stock Down 0.2 %

Group 1 Automotive stock opened at $401.26 on Wednesday. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $373.87 and a 200 day simple moving average of $340.54. The company has a current ratio of 1.00, a quick ratio of 0.24 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.91. Group 1 Automotive, Inc. has a 1-year low of $255.73 and a 1-year high of $422.28. The firm has a market capitalization of $5.34 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 10.69 and a beta of 1.33.

Group 1 Automotive (NYSE:GPI) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, October 30th. The company reported $9.90 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $9.87 by $0.03. Group 1 Automotive had a return on equity of 18.49% and a net margin of 2.68%. The company had revenue of $5.22 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $5.06 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $12.07 EPS. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 11.0% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, analysts predict that Group 1 Automotive, Inc. will post 38.52 earnings per share for the current year.

Group 1 Automotive Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, December 16th. Investors of record on Monday, December 2nd will be given a $0.47 dividend. This represents a $1.88 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.47%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, December 2nd. Group 1 Automotive’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 5.01%.

Group 1 Automotive declared that its board has approved a stock buyback plan on Tuesday, November 12th that allows the company to buyback $500.00 million in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization allows the company to reacquire up to 9.3% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback plans are often an indication that the company’s board believes its shares are undervalued.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

GPI has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. Stephens assumed coverage on shares of Group 1 Automotive in a research report on Thursday, September 12th. They set an “equal weight” rating and a $394.00 price target on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their target price on Group 1 Automotive from $420.00 to $425.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, November 5th. StockNews.com upgraded Group 1 Automotive from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, November 8th. Finally, Morgan Stanley upgraded Group 1 Automotive from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and increased their price target for the stock from $285.00 to $430.00 in a research note on Wednesday, September 25th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Group 1 Automotive presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $397.80.

Insider Activity at Group 1 Automotive

In other Group 1 Automotive news, VP Edward Mckissic sold 79 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, November 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $374.01, for a total transaction of $29,546.79. Following the sale, the vice president now owns 6,259 shares in the company, valued at $2,340,928.59. This trade represents a 1.25 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. 1.70% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Group 1 Automotive Profile

Group 1 Automotive, Inc, through its subsidiaries, operates in the automotive retail industry in the United States and the United Kingdom. The company sells new and used cars, light trucks, and vehicle parts, as well as service and insurance contracts; arranges related vehicle financing; and offers automotive maintenance and repair services.